For Monstery Monday - Magical Library

• Manaball is a game played with two teams of equal size, minimum of 3 (usually 6 players in the "pro leagues," haven't decided yet).
• The game is played via zipper initiative, and the winner of Initiative (the coin toss) becomes the Offense team (Offense) and the other becomes the Defense team (Defender).
• The Offense team chooses one unit to make the first play. The plays for everyone are Move Position and Make a Play. Move Position can't be blocked by Blocking Shield, however it can be affected by Stealing the Ball. A Move can be broken up in the case of Stealing the Ball.
• The first unit chosen is the one who has the Manaball in possession. When the ball is in possession, it can only be stolen after the possessor Makes a Play or a Defender moves adjacent to the possessed ball.
• Shooting/Passing the Ball. For Offense, Make a Play is passing or shooting the ball in a Line. Any Defender that is near (usually adjacent or inside) the line can use a Reaction (which uses their Turn this Round) to Make a Play to attempt to block/steal the ball. When the Offense Makes a Play, they spend Mana to roll a number of associated die of their spell school (d4 for Wind, d10 for Fire, etc) equal to Mana spent. The ball moves down the Line a number of spaces equal to the total + KEY (and Crits explode, just like normal). On a Primary Die 1, you Fumble the Ball (it still moves the total number of spaces down the Line and is in possession by neither team) and the Defense team has an opportunity to become the Offense team by moving to a space adjacent to it.
• Blocking Shield. When the Defense team Makes a Play, they spend Mana to build a Blocking Shield a number of squares equal to the same die roll as the Offense (dice number equal to the Mana spent and then add KEY to the result). They can spend it all to beef up the space they're in, or they can extend the shield to one or both sides by consecutive spaces, but the result is evenly divided among all chosen spaces (rounded down). A Defender can use this to defend from further away from the line, but it will have reduced effect. The number of spaces left on the ball's path at the point of the Defender is reduced by the value of the shield. If the number is zero, the ball stops adjacent to the Defender, and if it's negative, the ball bounces back that many spaces in a Line chosen by the Defender. The ball only gains the Defender's type if it is fully blocked.
• Moving with the Ball. While in possession of the ball, it moves with you (like Grappled) and you have Advantage on the Make a Play.
• When the Ball is not in Possession: If the ball is not in possession, the Offense can use Make a Play to make a Ranged Play (Range 8), but the roll is with Disadvantage, and the Line is predetermined based on the Line between the unit and the ball.
• Stealing the Ball. On the Defense turn when the ball is not in possession, a Defender can gain possession of the ball by Moving adjacent to it. Additionally, when a Defender Moves adjacent to a ball that is in possession by the Offense, the two units make a contested DEX check (no bonuses other than DEX), the winner has possession of the ball.
• Identifying the Controller of the Ball when it's not in Possession. Each time the ball is passed/shot or fully blocked it gains the type of the die used, denoting who is on Offense. When mixed-type teams play, it instead gains the team's colors.
• Scoring: A ball must be the Offense team's type and move into the goal zone of the Defense Team in order to score points.
• Goal Shot. The spaces immediately next to the Goalie (who doesn't move) are worth 3 points, the 2 spaces next to those are worth 2, and the remaining spaces after that are worth 1. The goal zone is a 9+ space Line.
• Touchdown. If a unit in possession of the ball makes to the end zone (Goalie line), they score 3 or 4 points (depending on testing to reveal how easy/difficult it is compared to shooting the ball). Or perhaps a point bonus depending on which region they enter.

Halftime Rest: At halftime (a certain number of Turns that would be revealed through testing, starting with 10 rounds and adjusted from there after tests), players take a 10 minute break, regaining Mana equal to rolled Hit Dice + Key. At higher levels of play, there could be more breaks added to add strategy of how many Hit Die to roll each break.

Field Sizes:

• Beginner. 15x30 spaces
• School. 17x34 spaces
• Collegiate. 19x38
• Pro League. 21x42 spaces

The Field: The sides of the field are lined with barriers that reflect shots that would go "out-of-bounds." When the ball hits the edge of the field, it bounces back in the mirrored direction. So a 60* angle would bounce back at a 120* angle, but a 30* angle would bounce back at 150*. This will be easier to explain visually in a diagram.